Chester T. Rice ’44

Chet died April 26, 2013, at home in Kentfield, Calif.

Chet graduated from Albany Academy. At Princeton he majored in electrical engineering and was a member of Theatre Intime, the Radio Club, and the Outing Club. His roommates included John Underhill, George Cook, John Murdock, Dave Ross, Carl Barton, and Barney Holland. Chet graduated in 1943 and spent 2 ½ years in the Navy, mostly in China, involved in blind radar-landing units.

Incredibly, while in China, he met classmates Don Korth and George Cook (Navy) and Don Hirschberger, Dave Ross, George Sisson, and John Clemmitt (Marines).

Chet’s postwar career was with GE, first in Schenectady, where he was president of the Princeton Club. Chet married Martha (“Marty”) Conney in 1955, and they lived in San Jose and Phoenix before moving to Kentfield in 1963, where he retired early at age 54. He enjoyed being a ham operator, owner of an alfalfa farm, a skier, and a tennis player.

Sadly, Marty died after 54 years of marriage. Chet is survived by four children, Margaret (Peggy), Edward (Teddy), Chester (Willy), and Jennifer (Jenny); 12 grandchildren; and four much-loved English setters.

Chet was a smiling undergrad, polite grad, and a kind person all his life.